For One Night
by TillDawnTomorrow
Summary: If you had the chance to fulfill your innermost desires, those we feel deep within our hearts, those that want to be fulfilled, at least just once, would you take it? One night, Blu and Rafael will have to make a choice: to take that chance or to let it go forever. (Blu/Rafael. SLASH. Rated M for sexual content. One-Shot - post Rio 2)


**For One Night**

* * *

Rafael pushed aside the leaves that covered his hollow.  
In front of him, he saw a familiar blue feathered figure standing closely.

"Blu? What do you want?" He rubbed his droopy eyes. He just woke up mere moments ago to the call of his azure-feathered friend. Letting out a weary yawn, he continued. "I know we said we'd start early, but don't you think this is a bit too much?"

He was barely recognizable under the dim moonlight, but Rafael was certain it was Blu.  
Yet there was something odd, almost uncharacteristic about him tonight.  
It made him feel uneasy.

"Blu? Is everything alright?" He came closer to the macaw. The blue bird remained still, eyes fixed on the tree branch below them.  
When he got close enough, Rafel saw his face. It was unmistakably Blu's.

"Hey, Raf…" Blu said simply, quietly. Though low, it was his voice for sure.

Not that there was much room of doubt to begin with. Given that he was the only adult male of his species to hang around Río ever since a flock of his kind had been found on the Amazon, there weren't many other possibilities.  
He had come over for his second yearly visit to Rio ever since he and his family had moved to the Amazon. His only chance of hanging with him occurred during summertime, when he'd stay for a couple of weeks or ever a whole month with Jewel and their three kids.

After his adventure with them in the Amazon, Rafael found it surprisingly hard to get used to Blu's absence. Truth was, dorky and awkward as the macaw was nearly all the time, the toucan had grown pretty fond of his blue feathered friend. Despite the time he had known him barely amounted to a couple of years, his presence had left a bigger impact on him that even he thought it would have done.

It was an odd feeling not having him around all the time anymore. To make up for it, however, he made sure to spend a lot of time around him and his family, or sometimes just him and the other boys. Somehow, the pack of friends didn't feel complete anymore without Blu. His whole everyday life, he thought sometimes, somehow lost a bit of flavor without the nerdy macaw around.

But boy, did he love every time he visited. He and his family had only been at Rio for a few days now, yet a lot was already done with them. And the plans weren't over yet. Rafael and the rest of the gang had already planned plenty for his stay. Surely it'd involve seeing a lot of shyness, dry remarks, cowardice and all his other quirky traits to show around no matter what they did, but in the end, he always ended up joining on the fun. He was, on his on odd way, the most fun guy Rafael had ever met.

But no there was no fun in him this time. No stuttering around and trying to get more words out that his breath allowed him. No quirkiness. Not the Blu he was used to see, rain or shine.

Was it his dead silence?  
Was it the deep sadness in his eyes?  
Was it his fallen posture?

Was it the scar that ran across his chest...?

He gasped. "Blu! Whatever happened to you!? Is that-are you alright?!"

"I'm alright…" Blu clutched his wing closer to his injury. He averted Rafael's eyes. "Raf…can we talk inside?"

"Oh, yes! Please, come in." He hurried him inside his nest.

Within Rafael's large home, a big enough space to house himself, his wife and his many children, Blu sat on a pile of leaves. One of his kids' beds, perhaps. He continued looking down, his eyes fixated on the floor.

"That scar looks pretty big, are you sure you-"

"It's ok, Raf." He spoke again in a monotonous voice, very unlike him. "It doesn't hurt. I mean, not anymore, at least."  
He didn't look like he was in any pain, so maybe his wound wasn't really so bad. Just a very superficial flesh wound.

How it came to be, however, remained a matter that he couldn't leave aside.

"Blu, what happened? How did you get this? Did anyone do this to you?"

"Yes…yes, someone did. I…uh…" He stopped, holding back his answer. Something told Rafael that whatever he wasn't saying wouldn't be easy to hear.

"You…?"

Blu, still avoiding Rafael's sight, let out a heavy sigh.

"I, uh…I had a fight."

"A fight?!" Of all kinds of answers he'd have gotten, that was one he'd never thought to hear from him. A fight? How on earth did Blu get into a fight? And who with? What kind of dispute would have ended on him wounded as consequence?

"Blu, who did you fight? Who gave you this scar?"

"…Jewel."

"…JEWEL?!" Strike that. Of all kinds of answers, THIS he definitely never thought he'd hear ever.

"I-it wasn't her fault, tho!" Blu spurted. His mood shifted instantly to a worried frantic as he stared back at Rafael.

"Well, I mean, it-it was her fault, yes, but-" He looked away again. "but she didn't mean to! Sort of, I mean. Well, she did mean it, but it wasn't premeditated-it was all, well, she just got furious and then she, well, she wasn't thinking, she lashed out, but then she realized what she just had done and she-"

"Blu, calm down!" Rafel put his wings on Blu's shoulders, clutching him tightly. "Take a deep breath…calm down."

Blu did so. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Rafael could already feel the macaw's pulse slowing down a bit.

"Now, look at me…"

Blu rose his eyelids and looked into Rafael with somber eyes.

"And tell me what happened, but calm down."

Blu sighed. His eyes did not stay with Rafael's for long as they soon dropped back.

The toucan released Blu from his grasp.

His sense of touch was telling him something…  
Something about what he just did…

He decided to ignore it, however. It nagged him, yet he couldn't focus on that right now.

"I don't even remember how it started…" Blu began.

"You don't remember? What were you two arguing about?"

"I don't know…It probably wasn't important."

"I don't believe that." Rafael said, unwilling to leave it at that. "What was it, Blu?"

"I told you, I can't remember exactly. Something about our way of lives…something about our lives in the Amazon and here in Rio. How I often fell more at home here than I do over there, how I wasn't getting a choice about which life I preferred to live. Something like that."

"Something like that?"

"Yes. But it wasn't big at first. It was probably a stupid thing to talk about to begin with. I don't think it even mattered…but somewhere along the discussion, things just heated up. We raised our tone. We started to yell. The kids...the kids were watching. We didn't even notice at first. And then, things just went out of control and…"

They looked down at his scar. It wasn't bleeding, nor it seemed like it did to begin with, yet the implications behind its mere existence were troubling.

Rafael could imagine the rest of the story already. He didn't think he'd need to go further that road.  
The sight of that scar really unnerved him, though.

"Blu, are you sure you don't need to cover it?"

"It's fine. I didn't need to."

"Well, just to be sure, here." He handled him a soft leaf.

"I said: I am fine, Raf." Blu refused the leaf, leaving the toucan in confusion.

It was so not him to disregard his health just like that. The macaw would normally freak out about it. Blu was the most health-conscious bird he ever knew, perhaps to a fault. To know that somehow he had ignored to care for his wound made him worry about just how bad his fight with Jewel was to the point it had made him end up like this.

"This was today, right? How long has it been since?"

"I don't know. A couple of hours…"

"Hours? You mean…you had this fight hours ago and you haven't gone back to her since?"

Blu shook his head.

"Blu, why?" The toucan asked in an annoyed tone.

"I don't know. I just flew away. I didn't say anything. She was sorry, though...when she knew what she did she wanted to apologize. She begged me to come back...but I just couldn't. I had to leave. I couldn't return either. I just…"

"Blu, that doesn't make any sense! You should have returned to her immediately." Rafael stood up. As the husband he was, hearing Blu say such things almost offended him. "In fact, you should go back to her right now!"

"I can't."

"Why? Why not? Wasn't she sorry for what she did?"

"Yes. Yes, she was."

"And you know she's sorry. Do you want her to feel guilty, huh? Don't you love her?"

"NO! I mean, no as in YES, I DO love her!" He shouted. "It's just that-"

"That what?!"

"It's just that…"

He was unable to finish.

"I love her, Raf…I really do…it's just that…"

No answer beyond that.

Rafael sighed and relaxed. It seemed like he wasn't going to hear the rest of it. At least not now.

"You can stay here tonight…but tomorrow morning I want you to leave and go back to Jewel and your kids. Ok?"

Blu nodded quietly. His eyes averting Rafael's in deep shame.

Rafael turned around, heading towards the bed of leaves opposite to Blu's own.

Blu looked around the tree hole. It was a very large living space indeed.  
It was missing something, however.  
Many things, actually.

"Uh…Raf?"

"What is it?"

"Where are Eva and the kids?"

"Oh…them?" The toucan stood still. "They, uh…they're not sleeping here tonight."

"...they aren't?"

"Yeah, Eva decided they would spend the night at the nest of an old friend of hers. They'll be alright, though. The kids like it there, actually. They're coming back tomorrow morning. Don't worry."

"But…why did they go?"

Rafael looked down.  
It was an embarrassing. Somehow, the roles in the situation had turned around.  
He had just started to mimic Blu's own behavior.

"We…we had a dispute."

"A dispute?"

"It's ok, tho. We've had them before. Everything will be fine tomorrow." He laid down on the bed.

"What was it about?"

"It doesn't matter. Get some sleep, ok, Blu?"

"Raf, what did you and Eva argue about?"

Raf sat up. "Blu, stop it. You don't need to know, ok?"

The macaw immediately looked upset. "Hey, that's not reciprocate at all." His glare clashed with Rafael's, who looked just as displeased. "I told you what happened between me and Jewel, didn't I?"

"Well, yes." He admitted.

"Then?"

Rafael opened his large beak, waiting for his rebuttal to come out.  
But it didn't. He couldn't think of an excuse.

Blu was right. It was only fair, after all.

He exhaled deeply in resignation.

"Being with the same woman for so long and being father of so many children…it just gets overbearing sometimes."

Blu looked up at him again, his attention caught on him.

"It does have its rewards, don't get me wrong. I do love the kids. And I do love Eva." He let his body fall back on the bed of leaves. "But sometimes…I just get nostalgic."

"Nostalgic?"

The toucan nodded.

"Sometimes, I miss the old days…the days before Eva, before the children, before all _this._ Before getting up to go outside and get everyone's breakfast, to cater to the needs of a lot of tiny beaks and a big one. You know, before becoming a family man."

With Blu himself raising a family already, he wondered if he'd inevitably end up the same.  
He preferred not to think about it.

"What kind of days were those? I mean, for you to miss them so much."

"Ahh, those days, Blu" Rafael got back on his feet. His stare got lost somewhere out of the room, somewhere in his past. "…those days I was free. I was wild!"

"Wild?" Blu raised an eybrow. "You're already one wild bird, Raf." He said with an amused smirk.

"Oh, no no no." The toucan shook his head. "I'm talking…wilder!"

"Uh-huh."

"Hey, they don't call me 'King of Carnaval' for nothing, Blu!" He continued. "I used to be the life of every party! Whenever there was samba playing on Rio, I was there to liven up the fiesta!"

His eyes wandered again on his reminiscences. "I was the center of attention of every bird in town. They gathered around me, swooned at me and begged me to make them mine!"

It was hard to imagine Rafael being such a tremendous celebrity amongst the birds of Rio. He knew he was pretty well known in town, as the so called 'King of Carnaval', a title that until now he thought was merely a friendly moniker put on by his group of friends and acquaintances. The magnitude he was talking about right now surely surpassed anything that he knew of.  
Just what else he didn't know about the toucan?

"I didn't have to go after anyone. Back at then, everyone went after me. I could choose anyone I wanted."

"Choose anyone, huh?" Deep down, Blu couldn't help but feel a smidge of jealousy. Choosing…what would it feel like to be able choose anyone? It was such an alien feeling. Unless he recalled wrong, his choices for a life partner had always been narrowed to a single one from the beginning.  
"And how many of them did you have?"

"Why, as many as I could, of course."

"Uh…explain?"

"I had so many partners during those days, Blu. More than I can even remember. Oh, but none of them were serious, of course. One day I went out with one, spent a night and then flew our merry way before picking up the next one. We were just wild young birds living a crazy life, following our primal instincts, our MORE primal instincts."

Blu wondered if such a thing even existed, or perhaps it was simply Rafael and his usual talk quasi-spiritual talking.

He sighed with longing. "Yep, such a free bird I was during the day."

The toucan's eyes regressed to reality, becoming aware of the here and now once again.  
He turned to see the blue macaw looking away. A longing stare expressed in his big, shiny amber eyes.

Why was he paying so much attention to his right eyes just now?

"I can only imagine how that is like. You know, to have the freedom you enjoyed."

The macaw let his back drop again on the pile of leaves. "Looking back, it seems like my whole life had already been laid down for me, like I never had a chance to choose a thing by myself…heck! I didn't even think about wanting to choose anything. I was simply there letting things happen, like an idiot."

"Oh, Blu." Rafael approached him. "I think you're kind of taking it too far."

"Am I?" The macaw looked up at the toucan before sitting himself back up.

"Of course! You know, having the kind of life you've had… it isn't so bad."

"Is it not?" Blu got on his feet. "How do I know it couldn't have been any better?"  
He began to walk around the floor as he rambled on.  
"Back in the day you had all the liberty in the world to choose how you wanted to live and who you wanted live with. Me? Back at then I thought I had a good life. Having everything served for me, such a bliss. Not having to worry about where to go, what to eat next, when to get up, where I should live at, whom to be with. I thought that was the perfect life."

He stopped on his tracks. "But, looking back right now…I can't imagine all the things I probably missed out. I never got the chance to try other things, nor did I ever give myself the chance to do so. Like where else I could have gone to live at…or who else I could have spent my life with."  
He let out a frustrated exhale.

"I love Jewel, Raf. It's just that…I keep wondering. Could have I had someone else?"

The toucan looked at Blu, standing in front of them with so much longing.  
His posture frail, defeated, weak.  
He walked towards him.

He put his wing around him.  
A comforting embrace.

He opened his beak as he prepared to say something.  
…but no words came out.

He realized he didn't even know what to tell him.

Yet he continued to hold him.  
In silence, he held him close to him.

They looked at each other.  
Stares intertwined. Neither saying a thing.  
Just staring.

It was getting awkward…

"Uh…Raf?"

Rafael withdrew his wing and gave the blue bird some space. "Oh, sorry!"

And there it was that same tingling feeling on his feathers.  
It almost felt familiar.  
Almost...

"Uh…well…" He cleared his throat. He finally found words to share. "You know, such a free life only brings so much happiness, you know."

"Uh? What do you mean?"

"You see, after all the fun wears off, suddenly it doesn't matter who you hang around with or where do you party next at. Everyday feels like such mess that sometimes you even forget your species are supposed to eat fruit and not beef."

"Beef?!"

"Oh yeah, that was a particularly odd night…"  
He shook away that memory.  
"Point is, I eventually stopped being happy with the life I had. My life was a mess. There were so many things to choose from for me, sure, but what was the point when nothing I went for lasted long enough to mean anything?"

"So, what did you do then?"

Rafael shut his eyes as he dropped his shoulders, as if reluctantly resigning to something.

"I woke up one day and told myself that I had to settle down. You know, put some order in my life. Find a mate. A true mate. Someone I could actually stay with for longer than a few nights…no, FAR longer than that."

The macaw felt confident to shorten the distance between them again. As he did, Rafael turned to see him. "You know, I think that in some way you were lucky that was taken care of for you right away. Me? Heh." This time it was him who averted sharing stares. "No matter who I tried with, nobody seemed interested in staying with me."

Blu stared quizzically. "Why not? I thought everyone digged you back at then."

"They liked me, yes, but as the party bird everyone knew me as… not as the loyal partner I wanted to become." He walked away, increasing the distance between the two. "They thought I was becoming dull. That I was becoming boring. They told me I was getting…old."  
He dropped a sigh. "And in some way, they were right."

It seemed like it wasn't just him who wasn't being quite himself tonight, Blu thought.  
Rafael, who was normally firm and optimist, was being anything but that right now.

"I knew at that moment that those wild days were ending. That everything after that was only going to be painful…"

He walked closer to the toucan.  
He slowly raised a wing.  
Perhaps it was his turn to bring comfort…

"Until." Rafael said, recovering his posture.  
Blu withdrew his wing. Perhaps he wasn't going to need to.

"I finally met someone."

Blu smiled.  
Hearing Rafael's story brought some sort of odd satisfaction, as if he had just filled the blanks of a half-written page and was now back at the point of the familiar.  
"You met Eva, didn't you?"

Rafael chuckled.  
He imagined he'd assume that.  
He couldn't blame him for that, though. There's no way he could have known.

"Actually, Blu, I didn't just yet."

"Huh?" Blu's certainty spun around into confusion. Just when he thought he knew the full story, a whole new blank space appeared in middle of the page.

"Before her, there was someone else."

"Huh, you've never told us about that before, have you?"

"Heh, not really." Rafael held his wings together. "I don't really talk about it, so hardly anyone knows. Eva does know, however. Naturally. I mean, it's not really even meant to be a secret."

"Then…what is it?"

"It's uh…" The toucan found trouble trying to explain it. "Let's just say it's a very…emotional memory."

"Oh…" At his point, Blu wasn't sure if he wanted to pressure Rafael into saying more. He had come here to get some comfort from his friend, only to end up making him feel troubled as well.

"Well, uh, it's ok. You don't have to tell me."

His curiosity was begging to know, however.

Rafael held back a faint laugh.

Ever so polite. That was more like the Blu he knew from every day. Somehow knowing the macaw he was so fond of was resurfacing again little by little.  
He wasn't just about to leave him with the question floating on his thick brain.

Raphael took a deep breath. A blissful smile formed as he did, as if he had just inhaled another good memory from the past.  
He exhaled, but his delight remained in his face.

"His name was Francisco."

Blu let out a short giggle. "By the sound of your voice, she must have been a…wait. Francisco?"

Blu felt was if a lightning bolt struck him and his mind had been wiped to a blank.

"He?"

The toucan chuckled to his friend's reaction. He should have expected him to be this confused, after all.  
"Didn't see that one coming, did you?"

"Well, uh…not really, No." The macaw turned as he rubbed the back of his head in shame.  
"Oh, but, don't take it the wrong way! I think it's totally fine. I have nothing against that!" He began to ramble. "I mean, against what many think, homosexuality and bisexuality amongst birds is a pretty common incidence. They're often thought of as unnatural, but the causes behind their occurrence are based on pretty natural fact-"

"Blu, hey, easy!" He interrupted. "You're ok, buddy. No need to excuse yourself like that."

"Right, sorry." The macaw looked down embarrassed.  
He looked up again. "Just making sure, you know."

"And I appreciate it." It bothered him at first, but eventually, Rafael had grown fond of the way Blu seemed to over talk things. It was almost endearing. "But yeah, it wasn't just girls who were going after me, you know. I figured at some point that I should try and see how things were like with one of the male birds that desired me. And, surprisingly enough, I ended up liking it just as much." His tone of gladness diminished. "That said, all of those relationships ended up no different…one day I flirted with them, danced with them, then slept with them…and the next morning we went on our merry way."

"Ow. Well, I'm sorry to hear all that…" Blu felt a bit awkward by not knowing what else to add, but something he had to say at least.

"It's alright, really. Besides." Rafael perked up again. "As I was saying…things became so much different with Francisco."

Rafael sat next to Blu on the leaf bed. The macaw listened attentively as the toucan gleefully recounted his past relationship.

"Oddly enough, it wasn't he who noticed me, but I who noticed him. I first saw him during a party. He was the only bird in the place not to be dancing, minding his own business. I remember him, sitting there all alone. He seemed troubled and depressed."

Describing that moment briefly took Rafael a little back in the past, not too long ago…a few moments ago, in fact, when a similar thing happened with a certain blue macaw sitting next to him.

"I just wasn't gonna leave the poor guy like that, was I? So I approached him and invited him to dance. Boy, was he one shy guy at first…kinda like you." He turned to see Blu and his surprised expression.

"Like me?"

"Yup. Timid, awkward, kind of a dork, and a very bad dancer at first."

"Aw, come on. I wasn't that bad!"

"Hmm, actually you're right…you were even worse."

"Hey!" Blu nudged him playfully as the toucan chuckled.

"But, once I got him into it…he turned into a complete party animal!"

He didn't have to say it to know there was an obvious parallel there between his past lover and Blu.

"Heh, sounds like an interesting guy then." The macaw said, turning away.  
Though his feathers made it impossible to see, the skin under his cheeks turned a slight tone of red.

"Then we met up the next day…and then the next one. And all days next to those." He sighed. "Such wonderful days and nights. He was sincere, caring, committed and." He giggled. "funny too."

There was an eerie sensation that crawled on Blu's spine. It was a bit unnerving, but at the same time, it fascinated him.

"So, for how long were you guys together?"

"Oh, a good while. A couple of years. It lasted longer than I could have ever imagined." Rafael closed his eyes and let the past memories come back to him. "I can still remember his voice…the way we danced together, the way he touched me…"  
He sighed dreamily.  
His breath became deeper.  
His inner temperature rose dramatically.  
"And the way he whispered close to me when laid down together and said…"

His eye popped open to side-glance at Blu, uncomfortably staring at him.

"Oh, er…" He shook away his thoughts, knowing he was probably going too far. "S-sorry. Got carried away…" He stared away, embarrassed.

"Hey, it must be nice having memories like those. You know, something to remember fondly. Something that reminds you that somewhere out there, there was someone else who loved you."

Rafael nodded. "That is true."

There wasn't much else to be said about Francisco at this point, or so they both thought.

Well, except for one thing…

"So…how did it end?"

Rafael sighed. He feared the question would surface eventually, but he also knew it was inevitable.  
"Time passed…and as we grew, we changed. Those changes made us different and those new differences just started to get in the way… and, during that time, I met Eva. And, well, you already know that part of the story."

Blu nodded in acknowledgment.

"At the same time, Francisco met someone else. And then one day, we just came to realize it wasn't going to last much longer. So we said goodbye."

His face fell. "Just as my love for Eva blossomed, my love for Francisco faded away..."

Blu felt as if he had just reopened an old wound.  
"Um, I'm sorry I asked…"

The toucan hummed. "It's fine…it was nice to remember how good it was while lasted."

Averted stares.

Dead silence again.

Blu's mind began to drift a little.

To have a male mate like himself. What would it have been like? Would it have made things different? More exciting and interesting, perhaps? Better even? Good in a different way?  
If he have had the choice, would have he taken it or rejected it?

There was obviously no way for him to tell right now.  
But hearing Rafael talking about his old relationship made him think.  
It couldn't have been any bad at all.

"I wonder what it would have been like if I had paired up with another guy instead." Blu said.  
He stiffened.  
He didn't mean to say it out loud, yet he did.

Rafael looked with surprise at his companion.  
But then let out a bemused chuckle.

"Now that would have been something."

Blu relaxed, trying to talk the embarrassment away. Might as well now that he brought up the topic.

"Well, of course, first there had to be someone who was into me. Heck, I don't think there could have been any other girl who was into me. Not even _Jewel _was into me when we first met."

"Come on, Blu, don't give yourself so little credit." Rafael gave a smile. "I'm pretty sure somewhere out there a guy or two would have had a thing for you."

"What, a thing for this? Ha." He gestured his body. "I'm a socially awkward mess already, Raf. The only thing that could ever give a good impression would be something better than…well, all of this."

"What are you talking about? You're not half-bad looking at all!"

Rafael leaned closer to him.

"You may not have the most athletic body, but come on, look at yourself!"

He lifted Blu's wings with his own. "One fine pair of graceful wings."  
He held his tail next. "A soft and elegant set of tail feathers."  
His wing headed down towards Blu's feet next. "A nice pair talons."

He ran the tip of one his feathers from Blu's toes all the way up to his chest, slowly, caressing the smoothness of them.

"Er…Raf?"

Blu's spine immediately stiffened.

"A modest, yet smooth feathered chest…" The toucan seemed too caught up examining the macaw's body to notice his discomfort.

"Uhh, Rafie…" The macaw called again, fruitlessly.

"And of course." His entire body became rigid as he felt Rafael's feather tip making its way up across his sensitive neck.

Meanwhile, his other wing had unconsciously slipped its away to Blu's right thigh.

"Raf? Buddy?"  
The macaw's heartbeat intensified.

Was it discomfort?

Or was he actually…

He saw his brown eyes rising along with the toucan's black feather until they stopped at, and remained fixed on, the tip of his gray bill.  
"A cute, round beak that-"

"RAF!"

Rafael flinched as his eyes popped open.  
He quickly became aware of his actions.  
He met Blu's bewildered, almost scared stare.

He immediately backed away, facing the opposite direction.

Awkward silence.

"…as I was saying, you're not half-bad looking, Blu." He tried to hide his ashamed, furiously blushing face. "Jewel is one lucky woman."

"Heh, yeah...Jewel…"  
Hearing her name brought Blu back to a state of somberness.

Rafael turned to face him once again. He almost wished he hadn't mentioned her just now.

"Blu…you do know you'll have to go back to her."

"I know."

"You know she's sorry."

"I know, Raf. I know..."

Averted stares.

Dead silence, yet again.

"…um…thanks for the compliments, by the way…" Blu spoke up.

"Heh, you're welcome." Rafael replied flatly, with a hint of shyness.

"…did you really mean them?"

Such an easy answer to think of, yet so difficult to speak through his beak, or so Rafael felt.  
But he managed to bring himself into answering.  
"Mmhmm." The Toucan hummed affirmatively. "I did."

Another long silence.

It was at this moment when Rafael felt again that awful sensation on his feathers.  
Maybe he just had realized what was causing them at last.  
All it took was a touch of Blu's feathers.

His soft azure feathers…

…and as soon as his wings didn't feel them no more, the discomfort appeared.  
What was his body telling him?

Why was it craving Blu's touch so much?  
Why did it bring such a comforting, pleasant feeling?  
A feeling he was no stranger to.

Sometime long ago. Soft feathers, just like his…

He wasn't the only one dealing with strange feelings, however.

Next to him, Blu was trying to make sense out of the thoughts that cluttered his mind.

Starting with a fact too obvious to ignore:  
He had just been fantasizing about a gay relationship.

Okay, perhaps fantasizing wasn't, so he thought, the most appropriate word. 'Considering the hypothetical scenario from an alternate reality perspective', perhaps, would be a bit more adequate term.

Or was it just him being in denial?  
Was he trying to deny how curious he was about loving someone different?  
Another male bird, on top of that.

It was so surreal. Blu had never felt a single trace of attraction towards males before, not even those of his own species. Heck, not even other females of his species. Jewel aside, he considered himself a straight up asexual guy.

At least he used to, until now.

Blu had always esteemed Rafael greatly, both as a mentor figure and as a close friend. Generous and willing to lend a wing, he always knew what to say: words of his wisdom, words of encouragement. His presence always graced every moment. Not to mention his vivacious and colorful personality. What was there to not like about him?

But it was one thing to enjoy his company surrounded by the rest of his close friends and it was another to interact with him like this: all alone, just the two of them.

It has happened before, of course. Whenever the two were alone it wasn't like it was to hang around Nico and Pedro, always stylish, wise-cracking and humorous, but a bit of goofballs; or Luiz, always so simple minded and fun loving, to a fault. His one-track mind made it almost impossible to engage in any kind of profound talk with him.

But he had none of that with Rafael. With him, Blu could be open about his thoughts and emotions, his insecurities and his fears. He could tell him anything, even things he could not bring himself to tell Jewel, and he'd always know what to say to comfort him and make him feel better.

Such was the reason why he sought him tonight, after all. He was looking for his comfort and support. To hear him say that, past his eccentric flaws, what a wonderful bird he was. Blu simply loved to hear how much he liked him.  
And tonight he had received far more than he could have hoped for.

The way Rafael complimented his traits.  
The way he had caressed his body.  
The way he comforted him under his embrace.

It was eerie. It was strange. It was unnerving.

But what seemed to be scary at first, the macaw realized it was also pretty damn thrilling.  
Exciting, even.

He wondered if he could get some more of that…

"Raf?" Blu dared to speak up.

"Yes, Blu?" Rafael replied.

"…do I remind you of Francisco?"

The toucan felt conflicted. He didn't know the true answer of the question himself.  
He wanted to think that at least.  
But the events that were occurring tonight were evidencing the contrary.

But he couldn't bring himself to admit it.

"Well…" He started. "…you're different from him in many ways." He followed, completely dodging a straight answer. "He enjoyed the outdoors a lot more than you did, he didn't mind getting himself dirty once in a while-"

"Raf." The macaw interrupted as he got on his feet. He walked towards the toucan until he stood right in front of him. "Do I remind you of him?"

Rafael felt powerless against Blu's piercing stare.

He couldn't lie. Not to those eyes.  
Those alluring amber eyes.

He lowered down in defeat.

"You do, Blu…you do…" He shut his eyes.

"So very much…"

How to feel?

Blu didn't know what to make from an answer like that.  
But he couldn't deny that hearing those words brought a feeling of gladness.

What could he follow with after an answer like that?

Perhaps there was something he could try...

Slowly, Blu held Rafael's beak with his wing.

Gently, he angled the toucan's head until they faced each other directly.

Rafael felt forced to open his eyes and look straight into Blu's.

They got lost on each other's eyes.

Amidst that moment, Blu let out a smile.  
He hoped to get the same response from his black and white feathered friend.

He waited. He hoped.

But instead, he received a frown.  
"Stop that." The toucan said bluntly.

"What?" Blu's smile faded.

"I said stop that!" Rafael pushed Blu's wing away from him as he jumped back on his feet.  
He walked past the macaw without looking back at him, then halted in front of the tree's wall.  
His back turned towards the blue bird.

"But why?" Blu asked worriedly. "I-I thought…I thought..."

"Don't think. You shouldn't think that" Rafael busted out. "We shouldn't be thinking that!"

"But-"

Rafael finally turned to face him. "Blu, let's get real! We are married! We have children! It can't happen!"

"Explain to me why not?"

Rafael grew irritated. What kind of reply was that? "Because it's not right!"

"And why isn't it right, huh?"

"Well, Blu, for starters", he insisted, "If someone else knew-"

"Then no one else will know." Blu asserted. "No one has to know."

"And what about the implications, huh? Do you know what it would imply about our marriages with-"

"It would imply nothing." Blu continued, with confidence.

"It could change everything!"

"No, it wouldn't. It would change nothing!"

"Blu, please think straight!" The aggravated toucan implored. "This is not a choice we can take! Not with _this!_"Rafael pointed at his head.

Blu didn't retort. Yet he remained still.  
He glared at the toucan, defiantly.

"Maybe not. But we can make it…"  
He placed his wing feathers on his chest, firmly.  
"with _this_."

The toucan left his beak open, trying to come up with something to say.  
But he found no words.

He stepped back and turned his back to Blu once more, taking a deep breath as he tried to remain firm.  
But he was finding himself unable to.

Taking deep breaths wasn't working.

"Rafie…I know how you feel…and you know how I feel. There is no point denying that."

"Blu…you don't understand." It was getting hard for Rafael to keep talking straight.

"What do I not understand?"

The toucan had to take a deep breath in order to bring out his next words. "Because, even if what you say is true…even if nobody finds out, even if nothing changes, it…"  
He paused.  
"…it isn't going to last..."

"But Raf…" His Blu spoke, his words turning softer, gentler.  
"It doesn't have to."

"Then what's the point?" The toucan said weakly, hopelessly. "Why do this?"

"Because, Raf…" He hoped his answer would be simple, but it wasn't.  
He didn't take long to find the right words, however.  
He exhaled and let them come out.

"Don't you wish you had a chance…to relive what it felt like to be with Francisco once more?"

Rafael gasped. The macaw's words had just touched the vulnerable spot in him.

"Yes, I know you love Eva. I know that, despite how difficult it can be sometimes, that you want to spend your life with her, just as I do with Jewel. But, don't you wish you were given the chance to feel what it was like to feel love different? Feel love for someone else? Not even at least once?"

Rafael clenched his eyes.  
His brain told him he didn't. That it was a lie.  
But his heart told him otherwise.

"When do you ever get a chance to relive moments like those, Raf? When do I _ever_ get a chance to have moments like those at all? When else are we going to get the chance to live our innermost desires, those we feel deep within our hearts, nagging us, demanding us to let them come out? We can try to ignore them, but they exist. They'll always be there and will never go away. But if you had the chance to let them out, to fulfill them, to make them real, wouldn't you take it?"

Rafael began to lose all firmness.  
Within him, his brain waged a war against his heart's desires.  
But it was futile.

"You miss the days you spent with Francisco, don't you? You thought you'd never have the opportunity to relive those days, that you'd have to resign yourself into living every single day with Eva, didn't you? Well, Raf, here" he gestured the space between them, but more than that, he was gesturing the moment "is your opportunity to bring back those days. For one night. _Tonight_…you can take the chance, or let it go forever."

Rafael resisted, for one last instance…  
Before his body hunched and his wings dropped to the ground.  
Defeat.

Soft feathers.  
Blu's feathers.  
Rafael felt them as Blu placed his wing on his shoulder.

"I know you want that, Raf...you know you want that."

Rafael couldn't move. He couldn't bring himself to look at Blu.

"And you, Blu?" He managed to say. "What do _you_ want?"

Now it was the macaw's turn to make face to his desires.

"A memory…that's all I want…I want a moment, like the ones you had. A moment to cherish, to treasure. Some memory I can return to, where I can find solace and joy. Even it doesn't last, just as long as I have one moment, one memory, just so I can remember…what it felt like to be loved by someone else…"

Love.

Was this truly what was happening between them tonight?  
Love?

"Please…one moment to remember, just one…that's all I ask…"

Holding his wing, Rafael brought himself to turn around and look straight into Blu's eyes.  
Sad eyes, in the verge of tears, much like his own.

Lost in their eyes.  
Seconds felt longer than that.  
Their faces were getting closer…

Then, an embrace.

Eyes shut, wings wrapped tight around one another.  
Sobs came out.  
And then tears.

No need for words. Only physical comfort.  
No need for anyone else. Only each other.

Even though they only remained in each others wings for a couple of minutes, it almost felt like an eternity was passing by.  
Time freezing. No time. Nothing else.  
Only Blu and Rafael.

An embrace.  
A loving embrace.

Tears stopped rolling.

The sadness became nullified by the presence of a new emotion.

"No one is going to know about this." Rafael said.

Blu shook his head, rubbing it against Rafael's neck as he did. "No one. It'll stay between us."

"Nothing will change from this."

Blu shook again. "No. Everything will be back to normal after. You with Eva, me with Jewel. Nothing will change."

"It'll be only for one night."

Blu nodded this time. The feeling of Rafael's feathers against his gave him reassurance. "One night…it's all it has to last."

They loosed the embrace to allow some space between their faces; enough to let them see each other without their beaks getting in the way.

As they felt caught in their stares yet again, they allowed some time to pass, letting the sadness to dissolve.

Then the sadness became something else.

Eagerness.

"Well, uh…" Rafael spoke up. "Just how do we start this?"

Blu smiled gleefully. It didn't take long for him to think of an idea.  
"I know."

"Well, that was fast." The toucan said with relief. "So, what do you have in mind?"

Blu let his arms go off Rafael, breaking the embrace.  
Soon enough, they met his body again.  
They ran down across his wings, caressing his black feathers.

Rafael felt a chill run across his spine, charging his whole body with ecstasy.

Blu recognized his reaction. He was hoping he'd see it in him.

"You love my feathers that much, huh?" Asked the macaw.

Rafael let go his wings, allowing them to meet with Blu's own.

"Are they soft like his were?"

Rafael brought one his wings close to his face.  
Blu finished the task by gently pressing it against the toucan's cheek.  
The white-bellied bird held it firm, closing his eyes as he enjoyed the feeling of the macaw's delicate plumage caressing him.

"Actually, Blu…yours are even softer."

Blu enjoyed the compliment. It felt invigorating, to hear such genuine words of appreciation from him.

Rafael let the blue bird lower his wing. Soon, they were holding both wings tightly.

The toucan felt Blu staring to rock their wings from side to side, back and forth, in what he noticed was a rhythmical fashion.  
The macaw's feet joined the imaginary beat as well.

"Wanna dance?" Blue said invitingly. "Handsome?"

It was at that moment when Rafael lost all doubts.

There would be no Eva in their minds. No Jewel. No kids.

They allowed themselves to fall in love again.  
To fall in love with one another.

Rafael picked the imaginary rhythm and followed Blu's lead.  
There was no music to dance to but the one in their hearts. They couldn't ask for a better musician.

Slow and simple at first, their movements become more dynamic, more fluid.

But it was more than a mere display of talent.

As they danced, the distance between grew shorter and shorter.

Playful, flirty, romantic.

It was a love dance. A new love dance.

_Their_ love dance.

The dance went on.  
And on.

With no real beat to follow, however, it was inevitable that the rhythm would get lost amidst their movements.  
In an moment of discordance, Blu lost his balance and fell, ready to hit the ground back-first.

But Rafael's wings came to his rescue.

Holding him above the ground, they drew their beaks closer to one another's.  
Their eyes met again. No emotion interfered now.  
There was nothing in their stares but tenderness.

Blu let out a giggle.

"What is it?" The toucan asked.

"Oh, I wondered…when you were admiring my body a while ago, what were you going to say about my beak?"

"Oh, that?" Rafael's beak let out a sultry grin, as one of his feathers rubbed the macaw's sensitive chin area.  
Blu closed his eyes and grinned to the ticklish sensation.

"You really wanna know, huh?"

"Mmmhmm." The blue bird hummed in affirmation as he enjoyed the caressing of what he found out was possibly a new erogenous zone.

Rafael stopped the tickling, allowing Blu to eye him again.  
Their beaks came closer...

"I was only saying that you have a cute, round beak that's perfect for a kiss."

Blu took the cue to close his eyes as Rafael's closed his.  
At last, their beaks met.

A kiss.

One that almost felt like their first ever.  
It was nothing like they've experienced before.  
It was amazing.

It was long.

Their beaks finally parted as Rafael pulled Blu back on his feet.  
But the separation didn't last, for as soon as the macaw could stand for himself, he threw himself at the toucan's wings, diving his beak straight into his, locking into a stronger, deeper kiss.

And as soon as it finished another followed. And then another and another, as if they were trying to get as many kisses as possible before the night was over.

A different idea suddenly crossed Blu's mind, however.

The macaw's beak continued to kiss, only it slowly drifted away from his mate's own, reaching lower.

"Blu, what are you-oh, ohhhhh…"  
Words were drowned by a moan, just as he felt Blu's beak kissing his neck.  
Such a perfect beak for kissing indeed.

Blu could feel Rafael's body heat increasing rapidly. It was all he needed to know he was doing a good job.  
But it wouldn't stop there.  
He took the chance to let his wings explore the toucan's body, starting with his back, which he massaged tenderly.  
Rafael responded to the stimuli by letting go a deep exhalation. His breath deepened.

But that wasn't enough for Blu. He wanted more.

His wings reached lower until they found the white-bellied bird's tail feathers. He was eager to see what kind of response he'd receive from his new lover upon giving them his touch.

Rafael, however, overcoming the arousing sensations for an instant, realized Blu's plan. He waited in excitement for the feeling he was about to get.  
But why did it have to be just him getting stimulated?  
It was only fair for his blue feathered lover to be rewarded for his actions with a taste of his own sweet medicine.  
Rafael's wings began to caress all over Blu's back, but shortly after they took a dive all the way down to his tail. And then, even further down.

Blu stiffened, before releasing a deep, ecstatic exhale of his own, just as he felt Rafael's wings held tight around his thighs.

The stimulation only served as fuel for him to resume the task at wing. Cuddling his face against the toucan's feathers, Blu kept kissing.

As he did, he took a deep breath, letting in Rafael's delightful, masculine scent.  
The powerful smell filled the macaw's lungs. It was intoxicating.  
He couldn't get enough of it.

Soon it was Blu who was now overwhelmed by the arousal. The tables had turned to Rafael's favor. Now that he had the macaw where he wanted, it was time to give his one-night lover the attention he truly deserved.

Without drawing away his face from Rafael's chest, Blu was gently spun around by one hundred and eighty degrees, fully exposing his front as his back rested against the toucan's chest.

Rafael's black wings reached around Blu as they started to fondle on his neck and his chest.  
The macaw became ensnared by the toucan's touch, making him press his head harder against his mate with a nuzzle.

Amidst his deep breaths, Blu kept kissing Rafael's cheek. His wings wrapped around his mate's body, mirroring his current position, only in reverse.  
His wing feathers reached lower until they felt Rafael's legs. His front side now was fully vulnerable.

Rafael took this chance to venture into new territory.  
Leaving his right wing feathers to continue caressing the macaw's chest, his left ones very slowly ran down his abdomen.  
Past his belly.  
Past his waistline…

"Raf?" Blu spoke in between his breaths. "Are you…"  
His body stiffened as an electric sensation that originated from between his groins ran across his entire body, causing him to let out a pleased gasp, finished with the release of a deep, pleasured moan.

Rafael took Blu's reaction with a giggle, inciting him to further stimulate the macaw's crotch with a rub of his feathers.

Rafael accommodated himself behind Blu, allowing the blue bird's tail feathers pass between his legs.  
Blu sensed his new position and, guessing his mate's intentions, stiffened his tail and lifted it, allowing the toucan to stimulate his own crotch with it.  
Provoking the toucan into a moan.

Their breathing intensified as did their body heat.

Their scents mixed and gave as a product a new, powerful odor which the birds inhaled, blurring all their senses in a cloud of ecstasy.

The intense sensations became overwhelming.

Their legs began tremble as they failed to carry the elation of the two bird lovers.

Rafael, the heavier of the two, was the first to lose balance and fell on his back, but not without bringing down Blu with him.  
They opened their eyes as their senses returned to full awareness.

The moment of bliss came to an abrupt halt.

Luckily for them, rather than impacting against the hard tree surface, Rafael met one of the soothing bed of leaves, while Blu's back found a cushion of his own on Rafael's abdomen.

Their eyes met again. Laying face-up on Rafael's belly, Blu saw the toucan's face upside-down.  
The sight amused him, provoking a giggle from him.

"Hi, Rafie."

Rafael chuckled, seeing as the macaw's face looked flipped over as well. "Hey there. Looking good from this angle."

Blu let out another laugh.

He pushed himself closer to Rafael until the distance between their eyes became almost non-existant.

"I have beautiful eyes!"

The toucan busted into laughter.

He just had to make him remember about that! Back at that day when the macaw was making a complete dork and fool out of himself, so new and inexperienced to the game of love.

And there he was now, turning what was normally his worst talent into something else. Something funny.  
He loved funny.

As his laughter died off, his stare met Blu's once more. "A pair of funny and beautiful eyes."

Blu turned himself around over the toucan, their chests now making contact and their faces in front of one another.

"Your eyes are beautiful too."

Their eyes closed. As if reading each other's minds, they locked their beaks into another kiss.

A long, deep and passionate kiss.  
Opening their beaks slightly, they allowed their tongues to make contact.

Their wings resumed their fondling play, reaching around every possible spot their position allowed them.

Their shuffling caused their weight to fall on their side.

Taking advantage of the momentum, Rafael managed to turn themselves around, relocating him to now be the one on top.  
His slightly larger body frame became dominant over Blu's, now finding himself underneath the toucan's cover.

During no moment in the transition did they separate from their kiss, which still went on.

Until they slowly parted it. Their eyes opened squinted.  
So many feelings mixed within their stares.

They could sense everything:

Saw each others longing eyes.  
Smelled each others invigorating scent.  
Heard each others deep breathing.  
Tasted the aftertaste of their passionate kiss.  
Felt the pleasant touch of their bodies pressing against one another's.

Particularly down there, in the lower areas of their body...  
The ones that called for stimulation the most.

Their lost stares confessed their desire for each other.

Their heartbeat increased in anticipation.

The birds became victims of their lust.

Blu lifted his head, nuzzling it against Rafael's cheek as, right next to his diminutive bird ear, the macaw whispered to him.

"Make me yours, Rafie…"

He laid his head back down again, allowing him to see the lust in his toucan lover's eyes.

He began with a slow thrust.

Blu arched himself outwards as the surge of pleasure circulated his body, letting out a hiss.  
Followed by a moan.

The toucan thrusted again.  
Rafael felt the exhilarating sensation spread from his crotch all the way to his feathers and the tip of his beak.  
He sighed out the wave of pleasantness, making room for the next to come.

And he thrusted again.  
And again.  
Once again.

His rhythm increased gradually.  
The surge of pleasure did as well.  
And also the intensity of their breathing.

Their stares remained intertwined, never taking their eyes off the others, gazing deep into their minds, exposing all their thoughts of longing and desire like an open book.

The toucan continued his act of lovemaking, which the macaw's body received with elation.

Blu's wings found Rafael's, inviting them to intertwine, and they responded.  
Their wing feathers interlocked, trapping one another in their firm grasps.

Rafael gave a harder thrust, provoking Blu to release his exclamations of pleasure even louder.

The sensations became overwhelming.  
They couldn't keep their eyes open.

Their beaks met again, sparking yet another passionate kiss.

Rafael gave another strong thrust.  
They exhaled their moan from their nostrils, not letting their beaks go.

Except for one moment for Blu to say...

"Go faster."

And then resumed the make out.

Rafael followed his request.

The thrusting intensified.

Faster.  
Harder.

They had to stop the kiss. They had to breath for what was about to come.

The sound of the atmosphere became drowned by their heavy panting.  
As well as the sound of their rustling feathers, mixing in a frenzy of black and blue.

Everything became a blur.

Their minds lost in ecstasy and bliss, unable to recognize a sense from another.  
They all became a homogenous, intangible cloud of pleasure in body and mind.

Rafael went faster.

The surges of pleasure intensified to levels beyond the imaginable.

They were getting close.

Faster.

Louder.

Closer.

A blur of passion and love.

Even faster now. Even louder.  
Almost there…

Their grasp tightened even stronger.  
Anticipation.

The blur spun into a vortex.

Spinning faster.

Until…  
It exploded.

Orgasm.

Moaning.

Everything went blank for an instant.

Every sense shut down for a moment.

Seconds of pure elation.

And then, little by little, they regained their senses.

The exhausted toucan could no longer hold his weight and slumped next to the blue macaw.

Dirty, tired and panting, they laid next to each other without saying anything, trying to catch their breath. Waiting for the aftermath of their climax to settle.

As their heartbeat slowed down and their breathing returned to normal, their eyes opened, sharing the satisfaction of their actions with their smiles.

"Thank you, Blu." Rafael said softly. "For letting me cherish old memories…"

Blu huddled himself closer to the toucan until there was no distance between them.

"Thank _you_." The macaw replied. "For giving me a new memory to cherish…"

Blu allowed Rafael to wrap his wings around him, positing himself under the toucan's warm, protective grasp.

"Do you still love Jewel?"

"Mmmhmm." Blu nodded with certainty.

"Do you still love Eva?" Blu asked this time.

Rafael nodded as well. "Yes I do."

Their faces met again.

"But tonight, Blu...I love you."

The macaw nuzzled his head against his mate's neck, closing his eyes to the comfort it provided.

"And I love you too, Rafie."

Rafael let his eyelids drop too, joining the macaw into their slumber.

Nothing dared to disturb the moment.  
Everything was as if the night had allowed the two birds to live their love under its kind moonlight.

"Just so you know, we're taking a bath first thing in the morning." Blu brought up.

Rafael responded with a chuckle. "Whatever you say."

And so, they drifted away into sleep.

In their wings.

* * *

The sunrise came, signaling the end of the night.

They thought it would be a moment of dread, but, actually, the dawn couldn't be any more peaceful for the both of them.  
It was as if last night had revitalized their entire selves.

Outside in the tree branch, they watched together as the morning showed its first lights.

One last moment together, before it ends.

They faced one another. Smiles in their beaks.  
No doubts, no regrets.

"So, see you later?" Rafael asked.

Blu nodded. "Yup. See you later."

They hadn't forgotten the plans they had for today. They were still willing to carry them out.

Blu turned away and prepared to take off.  
But stopped at the last moment…

Rafael looked puzzled at him. What made him stop?

Blu turned to face him again with a large smile.

He hurried towards the toucan.

And planted a kiss on his beak.

Surprised at first, Rafael returned the gesture.

One last kiss.

Once their beaks parted, they took a moment to enjoy the after taste.

A good memory coming to a good end.

They gave each other one last smile before Blu took off in flight.  
Rafael watched him go until his shape got lost amongst the trees of the jungle.

Though he was gone, he continued to stare away, dreamily.

"Thank you." He whispered.

From another direction, a group of familiar voices caught his attention.  
They were getting closer.  
It was their children.

"Hey, papa!" Said the first one, then followed by his other twenty brothers and sisters.

"Hey, kids!" Rafael received them with open wings, ready to give a welcome hug to as many as he possibly could.

One by one they all came to him. Though not at the same time, they all got a bit of their father's hugs.

Such devils they could be sometimes, but nothing could feel so good as receiving the love of so many chicks at the same time.

Well, except for one thing.

"Rafael?" He heard another familiar voice calling.

As his kids hurried back into their home, the toucan saw as his wife, Eva, landed slowly in front of him.

"Eva." He called her name, sounding glad to see her.  
And he really was.

He walked closer to her. There was something that needed to be said.

"Honey…" he began. "I'm…I'm sorry about last night. I got-"  
A feather on his beak silenced him.

Eva smiled to him.

"Rafie, my Pudgy Papaya." She kissed him.  
He kissed her back.  
Such a familiar sensation never felt so good.

When they parted beaks, she caressed his cheek. "Everything's fine. It was just a silly misunderstanding."

Rafael relaxed.  
Everything was fine indeed.

"So, are you going to see your friends later still?"

"Yes, I am. Are you sure you aren't coming?"

"Nah, I'll be ok. Say hello to everyone for me, ok?"

"Yes I will, love of my life."

"Thank you." She walked into the nest. Before she got inside, though, she turned back to him. "Oh, before that though, could you get the kids breakfast?"

"Sure can do, my Juicy Little Mango!"

She giggled. What stupid nicknames they had given each other.  
They were stupidly wonderful.

"Marco! Carlos! Get down from there immediately!" She angrily yelled to their kids as she went back into the house. "Manuela, go take a bath!"

Nothing had changed.

Never before had that made him feel so happy.

* * *

Blu spotted his makeshift house in middle of the reserve. No sign of anyone.  
Perhaps they still slept?  
Perhaps they were off to somewhere, without him?

Quietly, the spix macaw went inside the hole he and Jewel normally shared.

And there they were.  
All four of them. Sleeping.

Bia, Tiago and Carla, huddled together around their mother.

He sighed.

Just by looking at them together, he already imagined what his family went through last night without him...

He could see Jewel, looking out for him, her eyes covered in tears. He could hear her pleas for him to come back, to let her apologize for what she did.

He could see his children, confused and terrified as they watched their father abandon them. He could hear them asking their mother why did she do that to their father? Was he coming back? Was he leaving them to never return?

He could hear Jewel telling their kids that it'd be fine. That everything was a misunderstanding and that their father would be back. Soon, she told them. Simply, soon. He could see her taking the kids into her room, holding them close, especially poor young Tiago, reassuring them that by tomorrow things would be back to normal.

He could see them all going to sleep, trying to leave that awful night behind.  
Except for Jewel, who couldn't sleep.  
He could see her keeping herself awake, watching over her kids, as she tried to contain her tears of guilt.  
He could hear her sobs, dying out as she finally fell asleep. Her last thought before passing out being that this was all her fault.

He saw them now all together, sleeping peacefully.  
His family, his wonderful family.

They did nothing to deserve any of that. Not them.

Quietly, he walked towards them, not wanting to wake them from their dreams. Not yet, at least.

He leaned close to Jewel.  
Such a lovely face.

How grateful he felt to know that in someway, he was always meant to be with such a beautiful bird.

Gently, he planted a kiss.

She shuffled. A reaction.

Slowly, she opened her eyes.

"Hi, dear." He whispered.

Her eyes popped open with a gasp.

She immediately turned to see him.

He greeted her with a smile.

"Blu…" She said with a cracking voice.

She began to cry.

He held her in his wings.  
Tenderly, he shushed him.

"It's alright, dear…it's alright."

"Blu…I'm so sorry…" She said between sobs.

"Don't worry, dear. I forgive you." He held her tighter. "Everything's fine now."

"Daddy?" He heard a voice call him. Bia's voice.

They turned to see their waking daughter rubbing her eyes as she tried to get up. Behind her, Carla did the same.

"Daddy!" From the other side, Tiago called for him.

"Tiago!"

His son ran into his wings, crying against his chest. Even though he acted the toughest of the three, he also proved to be the most sensitive. It was during moments like this when it showed the most.

His other daughters ran to him as well. He made room for them, hugging all three.

"Daddy, we thought you'd never come back!" Bia cried as she huddled herself under her father's grasp.

"Don't worry, Bia. Daddy's here. He's never leaving any of you again."

"Please, please don't fight again!" It was Carla's turn to speak. "We were so scared last night! Please don't do it again!"

"I promise you, Carla. We won't." He said as he comforted his eldest daughter.

He looked up to see Jewel looking at him, tears in her face, but with an overjoyed smile drawn in her beak.

He nodded to her.  
Everything was indeed fine.

Jewel joined their kids into a group hug. The whole family was one again.

Nothing changed at all.

Nothing, except one thing…

He now a had a memory. A wonderful memory to cherish and look back upon.  
No longer he would feel that his life was one he didn't choose.

He would remember that night. That wonderful night he spent with Rafael.  
He would remember his touch.  
His lovely words.  
His wonderful scent.  
The dance they shared together.

He'd remember that, somewhere out there, there was another bird who loved him.

So he could then remember that that the bird he loved right now was the bird he had chosen to be with the rest of his life.

"Thank you." He whispered as he looked upon the morning sky outside.

Two loves. Two choices.

One forever; the other, for one night.

He'd forever cherish both until the very last day.


End file.
